Afghan Whigs, Early Winters

[ROCK AND SOUL] Ever too beholden to garage-R&B leanings to gain much cultural traction amid the reign of grunge, the Afghan Whigs closed up shop around the end of the ’90s as beloved also-rans. But in those final days of alt-radio ubiquity, even relative disappointments cast a long shadow: The seeds of Do to The Beast, the Whigs' first album in 16 years, were planted during the band's surprise 2013 SXSW appearance with Usher, and news of the upcoming release was broken by Bob "Better Call Saul" Odenkirk. Even without founding guitarist Rick McCollum, the boys' soul-rending maelstrom hasn't much changed—frontman Greg Dulli, busying himself with Twilight Singers and Gutter Twins the past decade, might actually be in better voice nowadays—and given the sorry state of whatever we're calling modern rock, they've every right to play the conquering heroes.